U.S. patent number 10,040,238 [Application Number 15/026,277] was granted by the patent office on 2018-08-07 for glazing comprising a seal portion with a closed insert and method for producing the glazing.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE. The grantee listed for this patent is SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE. Invention is credited to Marie-Camille Attard, Olivier Blanc, Bastien Grandgirard, Laurent Lamoureux.
United States Patent |
10,040,238 |
Blanc , et al. |
August 7, 2018 |
Glazing comprising a seal portion with a closed insert and method
for producing the glazing
Abstract
A glazing includes a glazed element, at least one profiled seal
portion and at least one insert which is located at least partially
inside the profiled seal portion, the insert having along a main
portion which is in the profiled seal portion, in cross-section, a
section which is closed on itself in the form of a loop and which
forms a hollow member, wherein the main portion includes at least
at one end a stopper which closes the end.
Inventors: |
Blanc; Olivier (Tracy le Mont,
FR), Lamoureux; Laurent (Ribecourt-Dreslincourt,
FR), Attard; Marie-Camille (Margny-les-Compiegne,
FR), Grandgirard; Bastien (Marqueglise,
FR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE |
Courbevoie |
N/A |
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
(Courbevoie, FR)
|
Family
ID: |
49949839 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/026,277 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2014 |
PCT
Filed: |
September 26, 2014 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/FR2014/052422 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
March 31, 2016 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2015/049440 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 09, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160297135 A1 |
Oct 13, 2016 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
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Oct 1, 2013 [FR] |
|
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13 59481 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
53/08 (20130101); B29C 45/14336 (20130101); B29C
45/17 (20130101); B29C 70/763 (20130101); B29C
65/50 (20130101); B60J 1/02 (20130101); B29C
2045/1486 (20130101); B29C 45/14434 (20130101); B29K
2677/00 (20130101); B29C 70/24 (20130101); B29K
2705/00 (20130101); B29L 2031/30 (20130101); B29K
2309/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B29C
53/08 (20060101); B29C 70/76 (20060101); B29C
65/50 (20060101); B29C 45/17 (20060101); B29C
45/14 (20060101); B60J 1/02 (20060101); B29C
70/24 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2 353 907 |
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Aug 2011 |
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EP |
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2 814 705 |
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Apr 2002 |
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FR |
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2 948 609 |
|
Feb 2011 |
|
FR |
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WO 2005/014320 |
|
Feb 2005 |
|
WO |
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WO 2006092128 |
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Sep 2006 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
International Search Report as issued in International Patent
Application No, PCT/FR2014/052422, dated Dec. 18, 2014. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Demuren; Babajide A
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A glazing comprising a glazed element, at least one profiled
seal portion and at least one insert which is located at least
partially inside said profiled seal portion, said insert having
along a main portion which is in said profiled seal portion, in
cross-section, a section which is closed on itself in the form of a
loop and which forms a hollow member, wherein said main portion
comprises at least at one end, a stopper which closes said end,
wherein the main portion is formed by folding over on itself a
longitudinal plate which is closed along a longitudinal seal by a
weld seam or by an additional connection component, and wherein
said insert is arranged directly on a face of the glazed element so
that a first side of the insert is directly in contact with said
face of the glazed element and said profiled seal portion is
present around a remainder of an outer contour of the insert and
absent between said first side of the insert and said face of the
glazed element, or wherein said insert is arranged indirectly in
contact, via an adhesive coating, with said face of the glazed
element so that said adhesive coating contacts both said first side
of the insert and said face of the glazed element and said profiled
seal portion is present around the remainder of the outer contour
of the insert and absent from said first side of the insert to said
face of the glazed element where the adhesive coating is
located.
2. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is a
fitted component which has a body which has an outer section which
is equal to or greater than an inner section of the end.
3. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is a
fitted component which is U-shaped in longitudinal section.
4. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is a
fitted component which comprises at least one face which is in
contact with an inner face of said end and which is in the form of
saw teeth.
5. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is a
fitted component which has a head which has an outer section which
is equal to or greater than an outer section of the end.
6. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is a
fitted component which is at least partially of foam material, with
the foam material of said stopper which fills the section of said
end.
7. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said end comprises at
least one hole, the hole being closed at an inner face of said
insert by said stopper.
8. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stopper is
formed at said end of said main portion by folding and welding a
wing of said insert.
9. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said end of said main
portion is integrated completely in the profiled seal portion.
10. A method for producing a glazing, the glazing comprising a
glazed element, at least one profiled seal portion and at least one
insert which is located at least partially inside said profiled
seal portion, said insert having along a main portion which is in
the profiled seal portion, in cross-section, a section which is
closed on itself in the form of a loop and which forms a hollow
member, the method comprising positioning said glazed element and
said insert in a mold portion in order to form said profiled seal
portion in a cavity of said mold, wherein, before said insert is
positioned in the mold portion, said main portion is closed at
least at one end by a stopper, wherein the main portion is formed
by folding over on itself a longitudinal plate which is closed
along a longitudinal seal by a weld seam or by an additional
connection component, and wherein said insert is arranged directly
on a face of the glazed element so that a first side of the insert
is directly in contact with said face of the glazed element and
said profiled seal portion is present around a remainder of an
outer contour of the insert and absent between said first side of
the insert and said face of the glazed element, or wherein said
insert is arranged indirectly in contact, via an adhesive coating,
with said face of the glazed element so that said adhesive coating
contacts both said first side of the insert and said face of the
glazed element and said profiled seal portion is present around the
remainder of the outer contour of the insert and absent from said
first side of the insert to said face of the glazed element where
the adhesive coating is located.
11. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main portion
comprises at another end opposite said one end another stopper
which closes said other end.
12. The glazing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said one end and
said other end of said main portion are integrated completely in
the profiled seal portion.
13. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional
connection component is a layer of adhesive or an adhesive tape
which is arranged between said first side of the insert and said
face of the glazed element.
14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein before said insert
is positioned in the mold portion, said main portion is closed at
another end opposite said one end by another stopper.
15. The glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the additional
connection component forms said adhesive coating.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the U.S. National Stage of PCT/FR2014/052422,
filed Sep. 26, 2014, which in turn claims priority to French
Application No. 1359481, filed Oct. 1, 2013. The contents of all of
these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety.
The present invention relates to a glazing which is provided with a
seal portion which is reinforced by an insert and more specifically
by an insert which has, inside the seal portion, a hollow
member.
The present invention also relates to the method for producing such
a glazing.
The present invention thus relates to a glazing comprising a glazed
element, at least one profiled seal portion and at least one insert
which is located at least partially inside the profiled seal
portion, the insert having along a main portion which is in the
profiled seal portion, in cross-section, a section which is closed
on itself in the form of a loop and which forms a hollow member.
The loop in question is not necessarily completely closed on itself
but the hollow member thus formed is sufficiently pronounced that
it presents the problem of the filling thereof by the seal material
when this material is injected.
This is because the prior art knows from the international patent
application N.degree. WO 2005/014320, and in particular from FIGS.
4a, 4b, 6, 7, 9b, configurations of inserts for seal portions which
have along a main portion, in cross-section, a section which is
closed on itself in the form of a loop and which forms a hollow
member and the filling of this hollow member by seal material may
present a dual problem: a problem of instability in the production
method as a result of the fact that the hollow member (or the
hollow members if there are a plurality) is/are difficult to fill
with the injected material; the progression of the fluid material,
the adhesion thereof to the walls of the hollow member and the
final quantity are parameters which are difficult to control and
this brings about a lack of repeatability from one glazing to
another; this instability leads to the skin of the profiled seal
portion sometimes not being smooth, but instead pleated or
sometimes rough or with bubbles, in particular close to the insert;
a problem with respect to reliability of positioning of the insert
with respect to the glazed element when one (or more) hole(s) in
the insert is/are used for the positioning thereof in the mold
since the arrival of seal material in the region of this/these
holes via the inner side of the hollow member can modify the
positioning of the insert.
It is important to note that the origin of these two problems was
difficult to detect; since it is a complex production method, with
a very large number of parameters, it was necessary to carry out a
very large number of tests before realizing that it originated from
the filling of the hollow member(s) of the insert.
Furthermore, the seal material present in the hollow member was
presumed to have a beneficial effect on the mechanical strength of
the assembly comprising the glazed element/seal portion/insert.
The present invention thus relates to a solution in which a stopper
is arranged at one or at each end of the insert which has a hollow
member, in order to prevent the material of the profiled seal
portion from being introduced into the hollow member(s). In this
manner, there is no longer any uncertainty with regard to the
volume which is effectively filled by the material of the profiled
seam which is injected into the mold and the surface of this seam
is always homogeneous.
Indeed, after numerous tests, the inventors have understood that it
could be more advantageous to close the end (or the ends) in the
form of hollow members of an insert so that the material of the
seal is not introduced at all into the hollow member(s) of the
insert.
They have further understood that the supposed advantages of the
presence of seal material in the hollow member(s) were actually
unfounded and the advantages afforded by the closure of the hollow
member(s) were ultimately much more important than the advantages
of filling this/these hollow member(s).
The present invention thus relates to a glazing according to claim
1. This glazing comprises a glazed element, at least one profiled
seal portion and at least one insert which is located at least
partially inside the profiled seal portion, said insert having
along a main portion which is in said profiled seal portion, in
cross-section, a section which is closed on itself in the form of a
loop and which forms a hollow member; according to the invention,
said main portion comprises at least at one end, and preferably at
two opposing ends, a stopper which closes said end and preferably
said ends. The stopper thus closes said end completely. In this
manner, the material of said profiled seal portion is not
introduced into the hollow member.
The present invention thus proposes a solution when a portion of a
main insert, called in this instance the "main portion", is
completely in said profiled seal portion, that is to say that the
material of this profiled seal portion is present all around the
outer contour of the insert, along this main portion.
The present invention also proposes a solution when said profiled
seal portion is not present all around the outer contour of the
profile-member, along a main portion, but is present around three
sides of the outer contour of the profile-member. For example, the
present invention proposes a solution when the insert is arranged,
directly or via an adhesive coating, on a face of the glazed
element, thus with one side of the insert which is directly or
indirectly in contact with the glazed element and said profiled
seal portion which is present around the remainder of the outer
contour of the insert.
The present invention thus proposes a general solution when an
insert has a hollow member, that is to say, along a main portion,
when the cross-section of the insert is observed, the material of
said profiled seal portion is present around at least two sides of
the outer contour of the insert, or around three sides, or all
around the outer contour of the insert, and is also capable of
being present inside this outer contour.
The present invention is therefore intended to prevent the material
of said profiled seal portion from being present inside this outer
contour of the insert.
The stopper according to the invention is preferably positioned a
longitudinal end of an insert so that the material of the profiled
seam cannot be introduced at all; however, it is also possible to
position a stopper without a head so that there is still a small
hollow member at an end but with limited volume (at the most a few
cm.sup.3).
In order to close said end in the most efficient possible manner,
the stopper is preferably a fitted component which has a body which
has an outer section which, in particular if a peripheral groove is
provided inside the inner face of the hollow member, is equal to or
greater than the inner section of said end.
In a variant, said stopper is a fitted component which is U-shaped
in longitudinal section in order to reduce the weight of the
stopper.
In a specific variant, said stopper is a fitted component which
comprises at least one face which is in contact with an inner face
of said end and which is in the form of saw teeth so that the
stopper is maintained in a compressed state inside the hollow
member.
It is possible for the stopper to be a fitted component which has a
head which has an outer section which is equal to or greater than
the outer section of said end in order to provide a sealed face
with respect to the material of said seal portion which is located
beyond the end.
In a specific variant, said stopper is a fitted component, which is
at least partially of foam material, with the foam material of the
stopper which fills the section of said end, preferably without
extending beyond said end.
In a very specific variant, said end comprises at least one hole
for positioning the insert in the mold for injecting the material
of the profiled seal portion, said hole being closed at the inner
face of said insert by said stopper.
Preferably, the stopper leaves all the outer periphery of said end
uncovered.
It is further possible for the stopper not to be a fitted
component, but instead to be integral with the end of the insert.
In this manner, the stopper may be formed at the end of the main
portion by folding a wing of the insert and welding this wing, in
particular when the insert is of plastics material or of metal or
metal alloy since these materials may be folded without breaking
and may be welded.
The present invention is particularly suitable when the end, and
preferably the ends, of the main portion are integrated completely
in the profiled seal portion, but it is also suitable when the
profiled seal portion is located around only one portion of the end
or ends.
It is possible for the main portion to be formed by folding over on
itself of a longitudinal plate which is closed along a longitudinal
linkage by a weld seam, in particular when the insert is of
plastics material or a metal or metal alloy, or by an additional
connection means, the connection means preferably being a layer of
adhesive or an adhesive tape which is arranged between said insert
and a face, and in particular the inner face, of said glazed
element.
The present invention also relates to a method for producing a
glazing which comprises a glazed element and in particular a
glazing according to what has been set out above, said glazing
comprising a glazed element, at least one profiled seal portion and
at least one insert which is located at least partially inside said
profiled seal portion, said insert having along a main portion,
which is in the profiled seal portion, in cross-section, a section
which is closed on itself in the form of a loop and which forms a
hollow member, the method comprising a step of positioning said
glazed element and said insert in a mold portion in order to form
said profiled seal portion in a cavity of the mold. According to
this method, before said insert is positioned in said mold portion,
said main portion is closed at least at one end, and preferably at
two opposing ends, by a stopper, so that, when the material of said
profiled seal portion is injected into said cavity of the mold,
this material is not introduced into said hollow member.
The use of a stopper according to the invention in order to
hermetically close at least one hollow end of an insert, and
preferably all the hollow ends of an insert, is particularly
advantageous.
The present invention allows a very reliable connection to be
produced between the glazed element, the seal portion and the
insert having a hollow portion or portions in spite of the absence
or presence of a very small volume of the seal material in
this/these hollow portion(s), whilst allowing very good
repeatability of the production and therefore an appearance and
properties (in particular mechanical strength) which are very
similar from one glazing to another in the same series.
Furthermore, the present invention allows the positioning of an
insert in a seal portion to be made more reliable when this
positioning is carried out by means of at least one hole in the
insert.
Furthermore, the absence of seal material in the hollow portion(s)
allows seal material to be saved and allows the glazing to be made
lighter even taking into consideration the price and weight of the
stopper(s). The weight reduction is even more significant if one or
more of the hollow stopper(s) is/are used, with the hollow member
of the stopper(s) facing the hollow member of the insert. The face
of the stopper in contact with the seal portion is preferably
planar (non-hollow).
Since the closure of the hollow member(s) of the insert is carried
out before the insert is introduced into the production mold of the
seal, this step does not have any negative effect on the production
rate of the seal on the glazing for a series of glazing.
A plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be
described below by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to
the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a glazing according to the invention when viewed from
the inner side, this glazing comprising two inserts which are
completely integrated in the seal portion and which, although
normally invisible, are indicated with dotted lines;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the insert which is at the top of
FIG. 1 and which is produced in this instance by folding a metal
strip over on itself;
FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of an end of the insert of FIG. 2
further having a means for closing a longitudinal aperture of this
insert;
FIG. 4 is a schematic partially sectional view along A-A' of FIG. 1
of the closure of an insert using a solid stopper with a planar
head according to the invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 4, of a
production variant of the closure of an insert using a hollow
stopper with a planar head;
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the stopper of FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 4, of
another production variant of the closure of an insert using a
solid stopper with a voluminous head; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 4, of
another production variant of the closure of an insert using a weld
seam.
In the schematic Figures, the proportions between the different
elements are not precisely complied with in each Figure but instead
are complied with from one similar Figure to another and the
elements in the background are generally not illustrated, in order
to facilitate the reading thereof.
FIG. 1 illustrates the production of a vehicle glazing 1 according
to the invention, comprising a glazed element 2 and a profiled seal
portion 3.
The glazing 1 is intended to close a structural opening which
produces a separation between an inner space of the vehicle and an
outer space with respect to the vehicle. The glazed element 2 thus
has an inner face 21 which is intended to be directed toward the
inner space, an outer face 23 which is intended to be directed
toward the outer space and a peripheral edge 22.
In this manner, when the terms "inner" and "outer" are referred to
in the present document, it is always with reference to this
consideration.
The glazed element may be monolithic, that is to say, constituted
of a single sheet of material, or be composite, that is to say,
constituted of a plurality of sheets of material between which
there is inserted at least one layer of adhesive material in the
case of laminated glazing. The sheet(s) of material may be mineral,
in particular of glass, or organic, in particular of plastics
material.
In the case of a glazing for a vehicle, the glazing generally has
at least partially at the periphery thereof, all around the edge of
the inner face 21, a decorative strip (not illustrated). This
decorative strip generally results from a deposit of enamel,
produced on the inner face of the glazed element when it is
monolithic or on an interposed face of the glazing for composite
glazing, but it may also result from partial and/or peripheral
coloring of a sheet of material used, in particular a sheet of
organic material.
When the glazed element is of organic material, it has been
produced prior to the implementation of the invention by molding
the material which constitutes the glazed element in a molding
device which comprises a mold which comprises at least one fixed
mold portion and one movable mold portion which can be moved
relative to the fixed mold portion, the mold portions cooperating
in the closed state of the mold, during the molding step, in order
to form a molding cavity which has in cross-section the
cross-sectional shape of the glazed element. Often, the glazed
element of organic material is not flat, but instead curved.
When the glazed element is of mineral material, it has been
produced prior to the implementation of the invention by melting
mineral material into a planar sheet, then by cutting this sheet
and optionally curving and/or tempering this sheet.
For information, the production of a glazed element of organic
material in large batches is more troublesome than producing a
glazed element of mineral material and the first production method
is generally selected when the shape of the glazed element is so
complex that it cannot be produced by curving a glazed element of
mineral material.
When the glazed element is a composite glazed element, it has been
produced in accordance with the well-known technique for producing
multiple glazing or laminated glazing which may optionally be
curved.
In FIG. 1, the glazed element 2 is a monolithic glazing. In this
instance, it is a fixed glazing for a motor vehicle roof. This
glazing has a large extent and that is the main reason for which it
comprises at least one insert 4.
The profiled seal portion 3 adheres to the inner face 21 of the
glazed element and is located over the entire periphery of this
inner face.
This profiled seal portion 3 comprises two inserts 4: one located
at the front portion of the glazing, the other at the rear portion
of the glazing, relative to the forward direction of the vehicle;
these two inserts each have an elongate form and are orientated
substantially in the Y axis of the vehicle.
Each insert is shorter than the width of the glazing at the end at
which it is located so that the two longitudinal ends 44, 45
thereof are in the profiled seal portion 3.
FIG. 2 shows the insert 4 which has been produced from a planar
plate of metal or metal alloy which has been folded four times,
each time along a longitudinal fold and at a right angle, in order
to substantially form an elongate linear block which is open at the
two ends 44 and 45 thereof. This insert thus comprises a hollow
member 40 which is located between the walls of the insert which
are closed on themselves.
As can be seen more specifically in FIG. 3, the insert 4 thus has
in cross-section the form of a rectangular loop, with four rounded
corners. One side of the rectangle is not complete: a longitudinal
aperture 41 is located along the entire length of the insert,
between the two longitudinal edges which have been folded one
toward the other
The width w of this aperture 41 is in the order of from 0.5 to 5
mm, for example, 2 mm.
A weld seam or an additional connection means 6 closes the
longitudinal aperture 41 arising from the connection of the
longitudinal edges after the folds.
The following description is given with reference to the insert
which is located at the top of FIG. 1, but is applied to any type
of insert which has along a main portion P located inside the
profiled seal portion 3, in cross-section, a section which is
closed on itself in the form of a loop and which forms a hollow
member 40.
In connection with FIG. 1, it should be understood that, in the
variant illustrated, the profile of the insert 4 is the same over
the entire length thereof; the main portion P is therefore the
whole of the insert 4.
However, it is not excluded that the insert according to the
invention may have one (or more) other portion(s) which is/are not
illustrated and which protrude(s) partially or completely outside
of the profiled seal portion; for example, the insert may comprise
one (or more) wing(s) which is (are) partially or completely
outside the profiled seal portion, in order to allow the glazing to
slide, and/or to allow it to be fixed to the bodywork, or to allow
an accessory to be fixed to the glazing.
The material of the insert 4 may be: a stainless steel or a steel
which is treated against corrosion (but not necessarily with a
cataphoresis, for example, by means of pre-zincing) or a plastics
material which is optionally reinforced with a load, such as, for
example, a polyamide which is charged with glass fibers (for
example, PA66FV).
When the stopper 5 is a fitted component, as for the variants of
FIGS. 4 to 7, this stopper has a member 50 which has an outer
section equal to the inner section S.sub.i of the end 45. This
fitted stopper 5 must hermetically close the end 45 so that the
material of the profiled seam cannot be introduced into the hollow
member 40 when this material is injected, even though this
injection is carried out under pressure.
In the variant of FIG. 4, the stopper 5 is solid: the body 50 fills
all the inner space of the end 45.
In this variant, the stopper 5 further has a head 51 which has an
outer section which is greater than the outer section S.sub.e of
the end 45.
In this manner, the stopper has a shape which is closer to the
shape of a champagne cork than that of a wine cork; the closure of
the end 45 is thus more hermetic than if there were no head since,
when the material of the profiled seam is injected under pressure,
this material presses the head 51 against the end 45 and this force
further increases the sealing.
The variant of FIG. 4 is further distinguished from the other
variants in that there is no material of the profiled seal in the
space located precisely between the insert and the inner face of
the glazed element.
This FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the connection means 6 in the
form of a layer of adhesive or a double-faced adhesive tape which
is arranged between the lower face of the insert 4 and the inner
face 21 of the glazed element 2.
In the variant of FIG. 5, the body 50 of the stopper 5 is not solid
so that the stopper is lighter. The stopper 5 is a fitted component
which is U-shaped in longitudinal section.
FIG. 5 further shows that the end 45 may comprise at least one hole
46 which is closed at the inner face of the insert by the stopper
5. This hole 46 has served to position the insert in the injection
mold when the material of the profiled seal portion is injected.
The seal portion 3 does not comprise a mark at the location where
the insert has been held during the injection since, when the mold
is opened, the material of the seal has become leveled at this
location as a result of the fact that it was not yet completely
polymerized or hard at this time.
FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the stopper of FIG. 5 and illustrates
that the faces of the body 50 which must come into contact with the
inner face of the end 45 are in the form of saw teeth in order to
further improve the sealing.
This Figure further shows the presence of an auxiliary member 52
which is pressed in when the stopper is introduced into the end 45
in order to hermetically close the hole 46.
In the variant of FIG. 7, the head 51 of the stopper 5 is not
planar but instead voluminous: the volume thereof substantially
follows the surface of the adjacent profiled seal in order to
facilitate the flow of the material of the seal into the mold; it
is possible for this head 51 not to be solid so that the stopper is
lighter.
There is also a variant which has a stopper which is a fitted
component and which is not illustrated and in which the stopper is
at least partially of foam material. This assembly may, for
example, be the equivalent of the body 50 of the above variants
which is of foam material, or even the entire stopper. The foam
material has to be selected so that the stopper hermetically closes
the end so that the material of the profiled seam cannot be
introduced into the hollow member when this material is
injected.
FIG. 8 illustrates a specific variant for which the stopper 5 is
not a fitted component but is an integral portion of the
insert.
Based on the configuration of the insert of FIG. 3, one possibility
is to produce an insert which is longer than necessary, then to cut
the left and right edges at the end 45 in order to keep only the
upper edge in order to form a wing which is then folded at
90.degree. in order to close the hollow member 40, then welded by a
weld seam 55 at the inner periphery of the insert in order to
hermetically close the end 45 so that the material of the profiled
seam cannot be introduced into the hollow member 40 when this
material is injected, even when this injection is carried out under
pressure.
The stopper according to the invention thus prevents the material
of the profiled seal portion from being introduced into the hollow
member of the main portion of the insert in a random manner when
this material is injected; the stopper according to the invention
thus forms a sealed barrier with respect to the material of the
profiled seal portion; there is always material of the profiled
seal portion against the stopper since it thus forms a portion of
the wall of the molding cavity which allows the profiled seal
portion to be molded.
In all the variants illustrated, the end 45 is completely
integrated in the profiled seal portion 3 so that the entire
periphery of the stopper which is not in the insert is integrated
in the profiled seal portion 3. However, using the stopper
according to the invention, it may be envisaged that only a portion
of the periphery of the stopper is integrated in the profiled seal
portion 3, whilst this was not possible previously.
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